1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dice games and games of chance in general, and more particularly to an entertaining board game and method of play using a plurality of dice in which if upon an initial roll or throw in a player's turn a predetermined result is not achieved, such player may accumulate points through a separate bonus scoring mechanism so that at least some points are accumulated in every turn, and wherein after one player has achieved a predetermined winning number of points, each remaining player has a final turn to try to achieve an even higher point total and become the high roll winner.
2. Description of Related Art
Dice games and games of chance are of course well known in the prior art. In the method of play of most of such games, several six-sided cubical dice are thrown or rolled simultaneously, with the result being either positive or negative as dictated by the particular rules of such games. The use of dice boxes in which such dice are thrown is also a known concept. The following prior art references are illustrative of the closest prior art games known to the present inventor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,780 issued to V. R. Goodman et al. on Jun. 5, 1990, entitled “Dice Game”, discloses a dice game comprised primarily of a throwing box having two compartments, six dice, and a tally sheet. In the method of play of such game, all six dice are rolled together in the first compartment, and then scoring dice are removed and placed in the second compartment, after which the remaining dice are rolled again. In order for points to be counted, a player must voluntarily stop rolling while he or she is scoring points or winning. In addition, in order to start accumulating points in the game, players must achieve a certain point value in a roll. Unlike the present inventor's game, the Goodman et al. game does not use chips, does not require three like kind or more of the same suit to be rolled in an initial roll, and does not utilize “Bonus” cards when three like kind or more of the same suit in an initial roll is not rolled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,467 issued to B. L. Hoover on Oct. 10, 1995, entitled “Method of Playing a Poker Dice Game”, discloses a dice game wherein five dice are rolled and for one's turn to continue the result must include at least one dice with the number one or the number five showing, three dice with the same number showing, or all five dice having the same number showing. While certain of the dice may be re-rolled, the Hoover method of play is overall unlike that of the present inventor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,704 issued to T. L. Dobbin on Jul. 22, 1997, entitled “Dice Game Method,” discloses a dice game comprised of six die plus a bonus die and a position die for determining order of play. The six die are rolled together, and point values are designated to each die and combinations of outcomes, with the first player to accumulate 10,000 points or roll six-of-a-kind being declared the winner. In addition, after 650 points have been accumulated in a turn, a “dare” may be optionally selected and the “bonus” die thrown to double or triple the player's roll. While the Dobbin dice game includes a “bonus” system as part of the method, overall such method is unlike that of the present inventor's game, wherein if three like kind dice or more are not thrown on an initial roll, the player is automatically awarded a “bonus” card plus an opportunity to roll all ten dice again.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,423 issued to R. R. Promutico on Aug. 14, 2002, entitled “Game of Chance Using Six Dice,” discloses a dice game wherein poker-like outcomes (two of a kind, two pairs, etc.) are available, and a second set of dice to double or triple a score is available. Promutico uses two visually distinguishable sets of three dice, rather than ten dice as in the present invention. The Promutico game is also an example of a betting game, wherein unlike the present inventor's game system and method bets are placed before the die are thrown.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,166 issued to E. Factor on Oct. 9, 2001, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Playing a Dice Game,” discloses a game named Olé that utilizes a pair of dice and scoring chips and wherein players start with a maximum score and points are deducted from such score based on the statistical ranking of the possible outcomes of the rolls of the players. As an example, for two dice, there are twenty-one possible outcomes, which are ranked from one to twenty-one; the player with the lowest ranking throw based on such rankings must deduct score points. The last player to have any points left is declared the winner. Such method is play is unlike that of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,768 issued to M. R. Kuzel on Apr. 8, 2003, entitled “Dice Game”, discloses a method of playing a dice game wherein initially a player must qualify to be “on the board” before positive points can be accumulated, requiring a roll of 500 points or more. If a player does not roll a 1, 5, three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-kind, or long straight, a BOGUS is declared and points are deducted, including the time before the player is “on the board”, so that a player may have a negative point total. During play, in general, on the first roll, five dice are rolled, on the second roll four dice are rolled, on the third roll three dice are rolled, on the fourth roll two dice are rolled, and on the fifth roll only a single dice is rolled, although as soon as a dice with a specified value is not rolled, the player's turn is over. Also, once a player has achieved a winning point total, other of the players that have achieved a certain value are granted a final roll. While somewhat similar in some aspects to the present inventor's game, the overall method of the present game is neither disclosed nor anticipated.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0075864 issued to C. Swavy et al. on Apr. 24, 2003, entitled “Method of Playing a Three Dice Game,” discloses a three-dice game including dice, a game board, with two players and a banker, wherein certain rolls are an automatic win and an automatic loss, respectively. Bets can be placed by other players as to what the next roll will be, which may be an automatic winner, an automatic loser, or a point. Swavy et al. is thus representative of the multitude of betting type dice games known in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0218300 issued to W. P. Timmons, Sr. on Nov. 27, 2003, entitled “Dice Game”, discloses a dice game wherein there may be a winner for every roll of the dice. The game may played with 3, 4, or 5 dice, plus a game table wherein the pay out odds for all of the roll combinations are shown, with odds of up to 6000 to 1 in a five dice game.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No 2005/0082757 issued to J. B. Cohen on Apr. 21, 2005, entitled “Method and Apparatus for a Dice Game,” discloses a dice game including a game board with the number 11-66 printed around the periphery of the board, and a pair of dice, wherein one die has values of 1-6, while the other has values of 1-6 TIMES TEN. A target number and points above or below the target number are selected, and then bets on the first or second point are taken, with the winner being dependent upon the outcome of the roll.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No 2005/0156380 issued to C. Warthen on Jul. 21, 2005, entitled “Game System and Method for Playing a Game,” discloses a board game which utilizes a combination of dice, chips, and playing cards. The goal of the game is to achieve “whale status”, a high gambling status for certain casinos. Warthen's method of play is unlike that of the present invention.
While these known games are each entertaining in their own way and are presumably suitable for their particular purposes, such games are each different from the present inventor's game system and method of play, wherein in a preferred embodiment a player upon an initial roll of ten dice together must achieve three like kind or more of the same suit. In addition, if this result is not achieved, the player's turn is not over but he or she may then select a card from a deck of “Bonus” cards, and is automatically awarded the bonus points indicated on the card. In addition, the player then may re-roll the ten dice and try again to achieve three like kind or more of the same suit, which if achieved the three like kind or more dice are placed in a separate holding area, and the player may elect either to bank the points awarded for such throw, ending the turn, or throw the remaining dice again in an attempt to accumulate more points by throwing one or more additional dice with the same number facing upwardly as those in the separate holding area. Furthermore, while a goal of the game is to be the first player to accumulate a total of 122,000 points, when achieved the remaining players will each have one final turn to try to accumulate an even greater number of points, with the player that accumulates the greatest number of points being declared the “high roll winner”. It is believed that such method and the corresponding game apparatus provide a highly entertaining, strategic, and fast-paced game which incorporates a unique blend of chance, strategy, and skill.